Immature Affections
by aodokueki
Summary: All Leon wanted to do was take his little brother to pre-school, and be on his way.However a familiar blond has other plans for the brunette.This story does include shonen-ai.
1. Chapter 1

Okay I know I said that I would upload this when it was done, but I decided to at least post what I had. I also said that this would be a one shot, but changed my mind. I would like to thank my friend Wonnykins/Brain-less Boy for giving me some ideas for the story and encouraging me to continue. None of the characters belong to me. Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! On to the fic!

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"Leeeeeon, I'm gonna be late for pre-school!"

The brunette teen sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sora we go through this every morning" Leon explained "you are not going to be late".

"Yes I will." the small exclaimed, gasping as he stumbled over a large crack in the sidewalk.

Leon gave a tiny smile, before scooping the child into his arms. The boy squealed happily, wrapping his arms around the elder brunette's neck. Leon ruffled his brother's hair with his free hand, and picked up his pace. Sora giggled as he was jostled around, clutching onto his brother's thin cotton shirt. Soon the pair arrived at the Traverse Town pre-school door.

Leon gently grabbed Sora, about to set the boy on the ground. However the teenager almost dropped him, when a car horn blared behind them.

Carefully putting the younger boy down, Leon whirled around prepared to give the car's driver a piece of his mind. He could only bring himself to let out a frustrated groan when he spotted a mop of bright blond hair, and a flirtatious grin.

The slighter brunette followed his brother's gaze to the other man.

"Who's that Le?" the boy asked innocently.

"He's no one." Leon assured.

"Why don't you head on in?" the teen suggested.

Sora nodded enthusiastically, before rushing into the building.

"Say 'hi' to Riku for me!" Leon called after him.

Once Sora was safely inside, Leon sent a withering glare at the man in the nearby car. The other male merely smirked, crooking a finger at him.

Leon sighed, but made his way over anyway fully aware that the man wouldn't leave otherwise.

As soon as the teen reached the car's passenger side door, the blond began to speak.

"Hey baby, if I can make you come with one finger then-"

"Save it Strife." Leon cut him off, grimacing slightly.

"Aw Squally you're no fun." The other teen grumbled.

"I apologize Leonhart I wasn't able to stop him." A smooth voice rumbled from inside the vehicle.

Leaning over to look past Cloud, Leon saw none other than Strife's best friend Sephiroth seated behind the wheel.

Leon nodded in understanding, only to turn on Cloud sending him another glare. The spiky haired teen only responded with a grin.

"So Leon, what are you doing today? Cause if you have nothing planned then we could go back to my place and-"

"Today's Friday. I'm going to school, just like you should be doing." The scarred teen reminded stiffly.

Not one to be easily deterred, Cloud made another offer.

"Well how about we give you a ride there?"

Leon stood shocked for a moment. Quickly recovering he checked his watch, deciding how much time he had to get to school one his own and remain on time.

Determining that it wasn't enough Leon looked to Sephiroth, who simply shrugged, before reluctantly agreeing.

Cloud grinned and got out of the car, moving to open the door to the backseat for Leon.

"Your carriage milady." Cloud announced dramatically, executing a short bow gesturing to the car.

Leon blushed lightly, giving the other boy an indignant look and stepping into the vehicle.

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First chapter done! I know some of the characters may be a bit OOC. By the way if you can think of a better title, feel free to tell me. This one's really just a temp-title.


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapters up! Thanks for the reviews and the alerts so far, they're always encouraging.

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The room was musty and hot enough to drain the energy out of any normal being. Posters with complex equations printed on them adorned the walls. Desks with the memoirs of past students scrawled on them were neatly lined up into rows.

Leon groaned, running a hand through his slightly tousled hair. He hated algebra class. Being trapped in this hell almost made him wish he had taken Strife up on his earlier offer to ditch. The brunette shuddered at the thought.

Leon had no idea as to why the blond seemed to want him. They had nothing in common. Cloud was exuberant. Leon was frighteningly anti-social. Cloud had a vast number of friends who clung to him almost constantly. Leon had a small group of friends whom he, although grudgingly, loved. Cloud was a blond. Leon was a brunette.

The boy's train of thought was stopped as the bell finally rang. Leon gave a sigh of relief before gathering his things, and bolting out of the room.

Yawning slightly Leon made his way out of the main building and into the school's garage (1). Easily maneuvering around car parts as he walked to the locker room. Quickly the dark haired boy changed into his uniform, and stepped back out into the shop.

Leon felt a small smile tug on his lips as he went about gathering his tools. If algebra was hell, then auto body (2) was heaven. Leon adored this class, it's only drawback being that Strife happened to take it also. Walking over to the beat up Camero he had been working on for weeks, Leon laid back on a nearby gurney and slid under it.

After about 30 minutes Leon set down the tools, lazily wiping the sweat from his brow.

The stoic teen let out an undignified yelp as the gurney he was resting on was suddenly yanked from underneath the car. Leon scowled ready to maim the person who was hindering his work, but hesitated when he was met with a playfully smirking blond.

"Hey Squally" Cloud greeted casually. Leon growled at the nickname, and made to stand up. Unfortunately his escape was cut short when a firm hand connected with his chest, pushing him to lie back.

"What's the rush Leonhart?" Strife questioned quirking a brow "aren't you happy to see me?"

"Not really" the brunette snapped, attempting once again to dislodge Cloud's hand from his person. The other teen refused to budge, letting out a dramatic sigh instead. Leon rolled his eyes in response.

The pinned boy emitted a whimper as a pair of soft lips pressed close to his ear.

"I'm disappointed Le" Cloud whispered lowly "here I was thinking we could have some fun."

Leon shivered as warm breath fanned over his skin.

Before the scarred teen could give a reply, the auto body teacher called out.

"Hey you lazy asses! I don't pay you to fool around!"

Cloud turned to face their teacher, a grin easily masking his aggravation.

"You don't pay us at all Mr. Highwind!"

The older blond muttered out a few curses as the teens point was made.

"Just get back to work!" the man ground out before storming away. Cloud sighed and turned back the boy under him.

The brunette mimicked Cloud's earlier actions, quirking a brow, silently asking why the other boy hadn't left yet.

The elder teen smirked and leaned down, his face hovering a few inches above Leon's. Before Leon could inquire what Cloud was planning, the blond placed a chaste kiss on his lips. The usually stoic boy sat shocked, a dark blush spreading over his cheeks.

Cloud stifled a chuckle, as he stood. "Later Le" he whispered, then turned on his heel and sauntered off.

Leon remained where he was until the bell rang, signaling that school had ended.

Getting up Leon changed slowly and walked back to the main building, letting the memory of the kiss run through his mind.

"What was Cloud thinking?" he mused out loud, ignoring the fact that he had used the other boy's first name.

TBC

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(1)(2) Okay so I go to a Vo-tech school where you can choose a career area and take that area as a class (they're called shops). Auto body is one of the shops.

A/N: I know this fic goes kind of slow. When I was originally writing it, I had no plan for where I wanted the story to go.


	3. Chapter 3

Third chapter's finally done! Thanks for the reviews they're always encouraging. All previous warnings apply. Yeah not much goes on in this chap, just to warn ya. Sorry if there are some grammar mistakes I missed, even with spell check. I have no beta. Anyway enjoy!

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

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Leon groaned in frustration as he made his way out of the school building. Shaking off his musings on the earlier incident he began to sprint down the street, in the direction of Sora's preschool. He slowed to a walk when he finally approached the twin glass doors of the small establishment. Entering quickly, Leon was almost knocked over when two small boys threw themselves at him.

"Leon!" they shouted excitedly wrapping their arms around him. Leon let out a laugh, ruffling their hair.

"Hey twerps" he greeted, the affection in his tone only making the boys grin and squeeze tighter.

After easily prying the kids off of him Leon turned to face the older of the two.

"Zexion said you could sleep over at our house, right Riku?"

The silver haired boy smiled and nodded.

"Yup" he affirmed happily "brother (1) said he'd send Demyx come pick me up on Monday."

Leon nodded but frowned slightly, unable to shake the feeling that the slate haired man was using him as a free babysitting service.

"Well I guess we should get going then" Leon stated starting to walk out the door, Sora and Riku obediently trailing behind him.

Leon couldn't hide a small smile as he watched the two children laugh and run circles around him, as they walked down the street. The teen gave an internal sigh as he watched Sora trip once again. Leon leaned down prepared to pick the smaller brunette up, only to have the other child beat him to it. Grabbing his friend's hand Riku helped Sora stand and dusted him off, asking if he was alright. The younger child nodded slowly, a smile sliding onto his features as he grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him to run ahead of their temporary caretaker.

When the trio arrived at their destination Leon approached the door carrying a softly snoring Sora with one arm. The boy yawned as his elder brother set him down so he could unlock the door, Riku keeping a close eye on his companion as to make sure the other preschooler didn't injure himself in his drowsy state. As soon as the door was open and they were inside, Sora perked up slightly.

"Stay here Ri; I want to show you how big Cupcake's (2) gotten!" Sora exclaimed, rushing up the stairs to his room.

Riku sighed and jumped onto the sofa, waiting for Sora's return. A few minutes later the bouncy preschooler came bounding back down the stairs, hauling an albino Burmese python with him. Riku grinned as his friend set the 7ft. reptilian on the shining hard wood floor.

"He just turned five a few weeks ago" Sora gushed, petting the animal lightly.

Riku laughed loudly at Sora's statement.

"You're old Cake" the silver haired boy teased, making the other boy giggle.

The teen smiled fondly as he watched the two converse, Sora flailing around to make a point. Slowly Leon eased his way into the kitchen. It was approaching 5 o' clock and he figured the kids needed to be fed.

"Do you guys want food?" the scarred boy called.

He got his answer as loud "yes" rang through house. Hearing that Leon began to rummage through the cabinet, looking for something the boys could eat. The edible things his search yielded were a bag of chips, and a bottle of ketchup. The leather clad teen smacked his forehead, frustrated by his own stupidity.

"I knew I should have gone to the store earlier this week" he muttered to himself. 'What to do, what to do?' he thought, pacing across the black and white tiled floor. He couldn't leave the boys alone, or they might end up hurting themselves. Leon shuddered to think what of Zexion or Sephiroth would do to him should he let their younger brother come to any harm (3). But he couldn't take them with him, lest he return home with six more bags of food than he had planned to get.

"I need someone to watch them while I'm gone then" the teen said to no one in particular. Leon chuckled cynically.

"One problem down, one to go" he murmured.

Now all he had to figure out was who he could rope into watching the brats

"I could get Demyx to do it" Leon said to himself, tapping the marble counter absently. He let out a low snort a moment later, once he realized the absurdity of that option.

'If Demyx wasn't occupied at the moment than Riku might not even be here' he reasoned with himself.

Leon's expression brightened as he remembered his younger cousin Yuffie. The high school student rolled his eyes as he imagined how that situation would play out. Sure Yuffie adored the innocent little brunette, but that was probably because she was just like him. The self proclaimed ninja was too much of a child herself to provide proper supervision. The teen sighed heavily, moving to lean against the counter as he tried to think of a short-term sitter.

"Axel might do it" Leon figured.

The boy twitched momentarily as his mind conjured up an image of his house covered in ash, and crumbling to the ground.

"No just….no" he muttered readily discarding that idea.

Leon's head dropped to the counter top dejection quickly taking over, before yet another idea hit him. Aerith and Tifa. The two slightly older women were known to be kind and responsible. It was only a bonus that the better endowed of the two females had a mean right hook that could easily take care of any home invaders. Not to mention they just happened some of his closest friends, so they'd be happy to help. Plucking the kitchen phone off its receiver Leon hastily dialed Aerith's cell phone. After a few seconds of ringing, a kindly voice with an electronic lilt responded.

"Hello you've reached Aerith Gainsborough. I cannot be reached at the moment, but if you'll be nice enough to leave your name and number then I'll be happy to reply (4)."

Leon felt the urge to scream rising. Slamming down the phone, the brunette teen began to furiously rack his brain for another option.

"Is no one free?!" he growled.

Leon's frantic thoughts abruptly came to a halt. He knew that if he was really that desperate…there was always one person that would make time for him. The man could be trusted for the most part and was generally friendly, Leon reluctantly admitted. Finally the boy heaved a defeated sigh, and picked up the phone again. Punching in a few numbers on the key pad, Leon waited for the person of the other line to pick up. A minute or so later he was met with a husky voice growling at him through the receiver.

"This better be good Leonhart" the voice snarled.

The scarred boy couldn't hold back a smirk. "Oh was I interrupting something?" he asked, feigning surprise. Before the other had a chance to respond, Leon had begun to speak again.

"Anyway I need you to give me Strife's number."

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(1)(3) – In this story I made Zexion and Sephiroth Riku's elder brothers. This will come into play a bit in later chapters too.

(2) – My good buddy Brainless Boy came up with the name for Sora's pet snake. I do not encourage small children to handle large reptilians in real life.

(4) - I really tried to make Aerith's message as sickeningly polite as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Fourth chapter's up!Wow Two updates in two days. I believe that's a first. Really though finals at my school are over for now, so this is kind of my way of celebrating. Thanks for the reviews, I always love them. All previous warnings apply.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

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The voice on the other end of the phone line took on a confused, hesitant tone.

"Why would you need that?" the other man prodded, wary of his friend's motives.

"Just do this for me Zex (1)" Leon barked, patience thinning.

"Okay, okay" the other teen sighed. Leon could hear shifting, and then a sharp snap that signaled the opening of a cell phone.

"Alright listen up Leonhart, cause I'm only gonna tell you this once" the slate haired man muttered. Leon scrambled to grab a pen and paper, scribbling down the slowly recited numbers. Once the number was jotted down Leon said his thanks and hung up, letting the other man return to his previous activities.

"This is so troublesome" Leon growled, as he dialed yet another phone. Hopping up onto the counter behind him the brunette patiently waited for someone to answer, swinging his legs absently as he sat. Seconds later a low voice replied.

"Hello?" the man greeted curiously.

"I need a favor Strife" Leon responded bluntly.

"Aw Squally actually needs help from _me?" _Cloud questioned teasingly, trying not to let his genuine surprise seep into his tone.

Leon snorted softly and managed to keep himself from firing back with an equally derisive reply.

"Yes" the scarred teen bit out "I need you to watch Sora and Riku for a while at my house".

"Anything for you love" Strife said happily "I'll be there in a few".

The slightly younger boy let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Cloud" he mumbled quietly, setting the phone back down immediately after having that said.

Jumping off the counter Leon made his way into the living room and over to the couch where the two preschoolers were staring intently as SpongeBob flitted back and fourth across the screen, letting out that grating laugh of his all the way. Bending down to their level, Leon began to speak.

"Sora, Riku I have to run to the store for a bit."

A look of disappointment flashed across their faces.

"But…" Leon continued "I called someone to keep you company while I'm gone".

Both boys shot each other perplexed looks. Suddenly the bell rang, cutting off any questions the boys may have asked. Leon rolled his eyes and stood back up. Opening it Leon was met with his smirking stand in.

"Daddy's here" the older of the two teens purred, smoothly pushing his way past Leon. The brunette clenched his fists in aggravation, slamming the door behind them.

Cloud sauntered into the living room and grinned.

"Hey kiddos, I'll be here while Squall's out" he greeted.

Riku imitated Leon's earlier action, rolling his eyes discreetly .Cloud walked to stand in front of the children, reaching out to ruffle Riku's lightly colored hair when he got there.

"What's up brat (2)?" the teen asked, as the small boy grimaced. Looking between the two, Sora tugged gently on a spike of his hair trying to figure out what was going on. Cloud caught sight of the other child's expression and flashed what he hoped was a reassuring smile, before ambling back to where Leon was leaning against the door frame. The older boy lifted a hand to gently stroke Leon's cheek.

"Don't worry Le, I've got this covered" he assured.

"Now get" Cloud ordered, turning Leon around and slapping his ass, then shoving him towards the door.

The shorter of the two yelped and turned back to glare indignantly, but said nothing. With one last sigh Leon exited the house, leaving Cloud to handle the children.

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(1) - I figured Zexion would have Cloud's phone number, what with Sephiroth being Cloud's best friend and Zexion's older brother. They would have met.

(2) - Again since he is Sephiroth's best friend, Cloud would have met his family (Riku and Zexion). Riku's not particularly fond of Strife in this .


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, I'm updating again! The previous warnings still apply. I figure I'll give you a head's up now that some of the characters in this particular story can get pretty OOC at times. But hey, I wrote this fic for fun and it is in no way meant to be taken too seriously. Sorry for any spelling errors. Reviews are always very much appreciated, I love hearing what you guys think. Enjoy!

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Cloud smirked as he strolled back into the living room. This job would be simple. Watch a couple of preschoolers for an hour or so, and impress the object of his affection? Yes, things definitely couldn't get much better. Approaching the couch, Cloud raised a brow upon spotting only Riku.

"Hey Ri" (1) the blonde began "where's Sora?"

Riku glanced at Cloud and released a snort of laughter.

"How am I supposed to know?" the silver haired boy questioned "I'm not the one who was told to keep an eye on him."

The muscled teen narrowed his bright blue eyes at the child in front of him.

"Don't lie to me Riku. You always know where Sora is" he stated, crossing his arms over his chest as a sense of irritation began to set in.

Riku turned to his temporary sitter and smiled, nodding his head slightly.

"That may be true" he admitted "but it's more fun to watch you struggle."

___________________________________

An hour. It had been an hour since Sora had seemingly disappeared, and Cloud still hadn't been able to locate Sora. Riku had been of no help, sitting on the couch, snickering quietly whenever the blonde teen became particularly frustrated. Cloud was about to strangle the information of the brunette child's whereabouts out of the other boy, when he heard the sound of feet pattering across the hardwood floor.

Swinging around he tried to catch a glimpse of the elusive preschooler, but saw nothing. Grinding his teeth Cloud prepared to scour the house once more, when he felt a light tug on his pant leg.

Looking down, the teen yelped at the sight of Sora, who was grinning brightly as if he didn't notice the reptile draped over his fragile neck.

"What in the hell is that?!" he shouted. Internally Cloud winced, knowing Leon would maim him should the brunette ever find out about the use of such language in his house.

Sora's smile broadened as he pet the gleaming animal.

"His name is Cupcake" he explained, taking no notice of the teen's distress. Cloud shook his head.

"Sora put that thing down."

The energetic boy pouted a little, but complied nonetheless, setting the snake gently on the ground.

The blonde let out a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair and ignoring the creature slithering across the floor.

"Where have you been?" Cloud asked, out of curiosity.

Sora blinked at the question for a moment, then smiled happily.

"I was looking for Cupcake" he clarified, acting as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Cocking a brow, Cloud scanned the room.

"Where did that monster get off to anyway?"

The small brunette shrugged and took a look around the room himself.

Cloud's search came to an abrupt halt, when he felt one of his legs being encased in a tight grip. Peeking downward, Cloud forced himself to stifle a cry.

Shaking slightly he ordered in a tone laced with strained composure "Sora get it off me… now."

The spiky haired child only giggled, as he watched the large reptilian wind itself around Cloud's leg.

"He likes you" Sora stated happily.

The teen flinched and shook his leg, trying to dislodge the animal.

"Why won't it let go?!" the blonde growled, continuing to shake the affronted appendage.

"I already told you why" Sora huffed "he likes you."

Cloud growled again as he felt his leg being squeezed even tighter.

Sora grinned and opened his mouth to say something else, before gasping as he heard the front door sliding open.

"Le's home!" he announced, rushing to meet the elder brunette.

"Don't leave me with this thing!" Cloud roared after the preschooler.

"Don't leave you with what Strife?" Leon asked, entering the room carrying several bags of food with him.

After thoroughly examining the situation, a bark of laughter escaped the dark haired teen.

"Don't tell me that the great Cloud Strife can't handle a little snake" Leon mocked, setting the bags down and stepping closer to Cloud.

"Just get it off Leonhart" the blue eyed boy grumbles, looking away.

Still chuckling Leon reached down and pressed a thumb at the top off the snakes head gently, the rest of his fingers gripping the reptiles bottom jaw tightly (2). Grabbing the rest of the snake's body, he gave a sharp tug. Strife watched with barely disguised fascination as the animal slid off his leg, looking perfectly content as Leon draped it over his own neck.

"So that's where Sora learned that trick from" Cloud muttered to himself, stretching his leg out.

Leon smiled fondly and ran his finger tips over the crown of Cupcake's head.

"Of course. After all Cupcake was my pet first."

Cloud remained quiet, waited for Leon to elaborate.

"When I thought Sora was old enough to handle it, I taught him how to properly care for and handle this guy" the teen explained gesturing vaguely to the creature still resting over his shoulders.

The blonde boy watched as Leon let the beast wrap the base of its tail around his upper arm, a smile forming on his lips as it wriggled in its position.

'Never knew a large and dangerous reptilian could make a person more appealing' Cloud thought to himself, eyes roving over Leon's form. 'That smiles' not hurting his looks either' Cloud added as an afterthought.

The dark haired teen caught Cloud's stare and smirked.

"Wipe the drool off your chin Strife" he muttered sarcastically.

The other teen scowled, but wiped his chin just in case.

"I was no dr-" Cloud stopped mid sentence as Leon walked back to Sora, unaware of the way his thin hips swayed faintly.

"Tease" Strife murmured, slapping a hand over his face, fearing the impeding nose bleed.

The only response he received was a quick glare thrown in his direction. Crouching down at his brother's level, Leon gestured for the younger to take the animal from him.

Once Sora had Cupcake securely wrapped in his arms, the scarred boy stood and gave him a gentle nudge in the direction of the stairs. His younger brother got the hint, and began to clumsily make his way up to his room.

"Make sure to close the door all the way this time!" Leon instructed "I don't want him getting out again".

Sora smiled and nodded, not stopping on his journey.

TBC

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1 - In this story Cloud calls Riku by nicknames such as "Ri", for the sole purpose of ticking him off.

2 - I am not sure if this really is the correct way to handle snakes, and would not suggest trying it. Also I doubt that it is a good idea for anyone to handle snakes in real life without proper training, especially children of the preschool age.


	6. Chapter 6

Another chapter up! All the previous warnings for this story still apply. I apologize for any spelling errors. Reviews are always appreciated. I love to know what you guys think. Onto the fic!

* * *

Once Sora reached the top of the staircase and moved out of sight, Leon turned to Cloud.

"Where's Riku?"

Cloud huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How should I know where the brat ran off to?" he questioned angrily.

Smirking at the blonde's behavior, Leon called out "Riku where are you"?

"Over here Le" Riku answered, coming to stand a few feet behind the pair.

Cloud glared as Leon walked to the preschooler, and ruffled his hair.

"Hey Riku" the brunette started "did you and Sora behave while Cloud was in charge?"

Riku smiled up at the older boy. "Of course we did Le" he replied.

"Good" Leon said, taking the child's word as the truth. Cloud on the other hand sputtered violently.

"That's a bold face lie you little-" Leon held up a hand to silence his peer.

"Stop antagonizing the kid Strife" Leon deadpanned. Cloud could only stand by slack-jawed, mouth agape.

"But he…I…they…it" he stuttered, finally finding his voice.

Deciding to disregard Strife's rambling, Leon turned back to Riku.

"Come on kid, let's go get something to snack on" he suggested, walking towards the immaculate area that was the kitchen.

"I got you and Sora sea salt ice cream" he mentioned.

The brunette teen laughed when a small hand gripped his, and proceeded to drag him into the kitchen. Glancing behind him Leon called back to the now sulking blond.

"Make yourself useful and bring Sora into the kitchen when he gets back down here".

Cloud grunted, making a dismissive gesture in response. Once the other boy took a seat at the bottom of the stairs, Leon turned back to face the enthusiastic child latched onto his hand and let himself be led away.

Strife sighed and drummed his fingers on the banister as he waited for Sora to return; however, the blond teen grew concerned when the sounds of crashing and thumping resonated down the staircase.

"This brat is more trouble than he's worth" Cloud mumbled, deciding it would be best if he investigated.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Strife was met with an array of unfamiliar doors. The teen had to beat down the urge to knock his head against the nearest wall.

"Sora!" he shouted.

The sounds of more thumping and a faint "I'm in here" came from the door on the right side of the hall. Looking around warily, Cloud made his way to the room the call had originated from and cracked open the door.

His eyes widened as he noticed Sora seated on the floor, sniffling slightly with one hand clutching his knee.

"What happened?!"

The spiky haired preschooler whimpered and looked up, tears clouding his usually bright blue eyes.

"I…I…I was trying to find my k-key and a b-box fell out on me" he explained shakily waving a hand at the open closet door and the cardboard box lying on the floor nearby, its contents spilled across the carpet.

Cautiously stepping past the sniffling child on the floor, Cloud began to sift through the objects on the ground, stopping when his hand brushed something soft and grey. Picking the item up he found himself examining a stuffed gray key, with a bright yellow handle and a small mouse emblem adorning it.

"Is this it?" he questioned, holding the toy out to the still seated child.

Sora's expression lit up as he took the toy from Cloud, cuddling it fondly. The blond allowed himself a tiny smile at the other's happiness.

"We better get back downstairs kid" Cloud noted playfully, scooping Sora up off the floor and resting him on one hip.

Sora grinned and clutched onto the front of Cloud's shirt as the older male jogged out of the room and down the steps, jumping down the last few before finally walking into the kitchen.

Both Leon and Riku turned to look at the pair, the elder of the two almost dropping his ice cream upon catching sight of the lightly bleeding scrape on Sora's knee.

"Where did that come from?!" Leon asked, taking his brother out of Cloud's hold and into his own.

Strife opened his mouth to explain, only to have Leon cut him off.

"Are you okay? Did you fall? Is this _his_ fault?"

"Leon!" Cloud yelled, managing to snap the brunette out of his impromptu parental fit.

"The kid's fine" the blond boy started "a box got dropped on him while he was looking for that" he explained, pointing at the toy in Sora's grasp.

"All he needs is to have that scrape cleaned, and bandaged. He'll be good as new. I swear" he finished, hoping his account of what had happened would placate the other teen.

Leon looked between Sora and Cloud before giving a solemn nod. Setting his younger brother down Leon walked out of the room, returning a few moments later with a first aid kit in hand. Lifting the injured preschooler up again, the older boy sat him gently on the edge of the nearest counter.

"Hold still" Leon admonished gently, beginning to apply peroxide to the scratch.

Sora whimpered but stilled anyway, twitching every now and then when he felt a particularly harsh stab of pain.

"All done" the elder brunette soothed, ruffling Sora's hair and picking him up off the counter.

As soon as the spiky haired child's feet hit the ground, he was running to his friend's side (1).

"Come on Ri!" Sora shouted, bouncing up and down "let's go build a fort!"

Riku smiled and let himself he tugged back into the living room.

The two teenagers glanced at each other letting an awkward silence fall over the room. Cloud was the first to cut through the quiet.

"That was um…"

"Yeah… it sure was" Leon tried to contribute, failing miserably.

"So would this be considered a date?" Cloud blurted out.

TBC

* * *

Abrupt chapter end ftw!

(1) – From what I know of kids, they recover from scrapes and injuries pretty fast.


End file.
